The difference between best before and use-by

Everything you need to know

It's important to understand the difference between best-before and use-by dates on food labels to keep food safe and to help reduce food waste.

In simple terms...

✅ A best-before date is about food quality: After this date, the food will be safe to eat, but its flavour, colour or texture might not be as good.

✅ A use-by date is about food safety: After this date, the food is not safe to eat.

Things to consider about...

Use-by dates

• Usually found on foods like raw meat or fish, cooked sliced meats, and some dairy products (foods that go off quickly).
• Even if the food looks and smells fine, it shouldn't be eaten past its use-by date, as it might contain harmful bacteria that could make you sick.
• Some foods can also be frozen up until the use-by date and/or to avoid waste.
• Storage instructions provided on the label should be followed to keep the food safe.

Best before dates

• Appear on a wide range of foods, which can include frozen, dried and tinned foods such as tinned tomatoes, bread and cereal.
• The best-before date will only be valid if the food is stored according to the instructions on the label.
• It is safe to smell or decide on the look if the food can be eaten if they have a best-before date.
• Some milk and dairy products have a best-before date rather than a use-by date. This is because food businesses use certain technologies during production and the products are tested to make sure they're safe.

The only exception = Eggs

Eggs are an exception to this, which have a best-before date of no more than 28 days after they're laid. After this date, the quality will decline, and if any Salmonella bacteria are present, they could multiply to high levels and could make you very ill.

Eggs can be eaten a day or two after their best-before date as long as they are cooked thoroughly (such as a hard-boiled egg or used in a cake), as this will kill any bacteria.

Which foods don't have labelling?

Most prepacked foods require either a use-by or a best-before date, but some foods do not:

✅ Fresh fruit and vegetables (including potatoes, which have not been peeled or cut)

Note: This doesn't apply to sprouting seeds and similar products such as bean sprouts.

✅ Wines (liqueur, sparkling and aromatised wines) and similar products that are made from fruit other than grapes.

✅ Drinks containing 10% or more volume of alcohol

✅ Baked goods which are normally eaten within 24 hours of being made

✅ Vinegar

✅ Cooking salt

✅ Solid sugar

✅ Sweets (confectionery) consisting almost solely of flavoured and coloured sugars

✅ Chewing gums and similar products

Know exactly what to look for next time you shop or look in the fridge by understanding more about your food labels.